Music by Ben Barden
Hidden in the Beyond > Sleeve notes
This page includes the original sleeve notes from Hidden in the Beyond. Due to the costs associated with producing CD booklets, this album has only ever been released as a slimline CD, with the sleeve notes available online.
Revisiting "A World Beyond"
When I finished "A World Beyond", I was happy with the results. But apart from the positive feedback on Lauren's design, it was obvious that the album fell short for most listeners.
After hearing the criticism, I wanted to do a better job. So I bought some new software and set to work on my second album, "Besidewalk Plight". It has been very well received, so I must have done something right. Soon afterwards, I started working on my third album.
During a rather unproductive and frustrating session on album 3, I decided to take a step back. I didn't feel happy with how the new album was progressing, and I decided to put the project on hold. It was then that I pondered the idea of redoing "A World Beyond".
The issue I had was that I didn't want to go backwards, only forwards. But I saw a lot of potential in the album, and didn't want to leave it as a forgotten album that wasn't being released anymore. I'd already released "Dancing on the Cliffs", a remix of the first track, so I had a feel for how the album might sound. Once I'd retitled a few of the tracks and done a couple more remixes, I settled on the album title and immersed myself in the new project.
Not all of the tracks are simply remixed with better instruments and a few extra twiddly bits. There are only 13 tracks on this album - 4 less than the original. "Raindrops" has been incorporated into the title track, while the five parts of "Aries" (originally as three tracks) have been developed into one epic track, "Nine Intertwined". This is the highlight of the album and I hope you enjoy it.
In fact I hope you enjoy the rest of the album too. It's not taken as long to put together as the first album, but hopefully you'll agree that the changes are for the better.
Dedication
This album is dedicated to my wife, Lauren. Thank you for your tremendous amount of support. I am eternally grateful and very lucky to have you.
Thanks
For the first time I've decided not to publish a list of people I'd like to thank. It's hard to write such a list without appearing to put the names in some sort of order. Some people won't even read the list to know I've thanked them, and it's hard to include everyone I'd like to - the list just keeps growing. All I want to say is a very big thank you to everyone who's ever listened to my music. I hope you continue to enjoy my music for many years.
January 2007